


The Homeless Man

by Madth333



Series: A Legendary Story: The First of Its Kind, One Shots- A Day in the Life of... [2]
Category: A Legendary Story: The First of Its Kind
Genre: Acts of Kindness, Attempt at Humor, First Meetings, Gen, Homelessness, Kindness, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Series, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21640714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madth333/pseuds/Madth333
Summary: The first (chronologically) in the "A Day in the Life of" series, "The Homeless Man" chronicles the day in the life of a Gotham City homeless man- as he spreads joy... and witnesses history...Directly Ties To:A Legendary Story: The First of Its Kind, Part 1: Just the Beginning, Chapter 1: What have we done?https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227438/chapters/50538746
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: A Legendary Story: The First of Its Kind, One Shots- A Day in the Life of... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556014
Comments: 14
Kudos: 7





	The Homeless Man

HONK! HONK! HONK!

"Move it, lady! I'm drivin' here!"

HONK! HONK!

"Oh shut up, you! I'll walk however fast I want to! Pedestrians have the right'a way, ya' know!"

… As he was waking up, The Homeless Man could hear the driver continuing to yell obscenities as he drove away…

"Today should be a good day," The Homeless Man said to himself...

It was already a sunny morning, and blazing hot outside. The sounds of the morning traffic dominated The Homeless Man's ears. It would be impossible to sleep in the alley- just a few feet from all of that commotion. So The Homeless Man got to his feet, and walked out of the alley, and onto the sidewalk.

"I think I'll go get me some breakfast," The Homeless Man muttered aloud.

He walked down the street and a few blocks away, towards Gotham City Kitchen. The kitchen was a non-profit company that was dedicated to feeding the homeless of Gotham City. They served breakfast, and dinner, six days of the week; every week of the year.

"I wonder what's on the menu today?" The Homeless Man asked himself, "Not sure... But I'm sure we'll like it!"

The Homeless Man entered the kitchen, and took his place in line. He eventually made his way through the line, and by the end of it- he had a tray full of eggs, sausage, biscuits, and jam. The Homeless Man then took his tray, and wandered out into the cafeteria.

Looking around, The Homeless Man couldn't find any empty tables…

… The Homeless Man didn't like sitting with other people. He's always been a loner, an outcast or sorts…

… Not wanting to chance having a bad interaction with someone else, the homeless man was resigned to sitting alone- in a lone chair that had been pushed over along the wall.

As The Homeless Man walked over to the solitary chair, he could hear a couple of the other patrons discussing current events,

"You hear The Flash died?"

"Yeah, I saw that… Just the other day wasn't it?"

"Yeah, seems he wasn't faster than that bomb?" 

… The patrons then started to laugh at the death of The Flash…

The Homeless Man was furious at the callousness of these patrons! How could they be laughing at the loss of a true superhero?

… But The Homeless Man kept walking to his chair. He knew better than to try and do the right thing. Every time he tries, no one ever seems to understand. Everyone just makes fun of him, and puts him down…

The Homeless Man sat in the chair, and placed his tray on his lap. He sat there, alone, and ate his meal. Afterwards, The Homeless Man returned his empty tray, thanked the kitchen staff, and then left about his way...

"The docks," The Homeless Man said to himself. "I think I'll go listen to the waves brush up on the shore."

So The Homeless Man walked out of the city, and down towards Gotham Harbor. Along the way, he found a dollar bill lying on the ground,

"This is my lucky day!" The Homeless Man said to himself.

The Homeless Man then pushed the dollar bill deep into his pants pocket, and he continued on; until he finally reached the docks. The Homeless Man walked down the pier, and he took a seat on a bench. The Homeless Man would sit there alone, for hours...

"I sure do love the sound of the waves," The Homeless Man told a pigeon, that had landed beside him. "I wish I could give you some bread, but I'm afraid that I ate all of my biscuits this morning. Maybe after dinner I'll come back with a roll? The menu said pasta. So I think there will be rolls too…"

The Homeless Man then heard someone passing by saying that it was almost five in the evening! The Homeless Man had been sitting at the pier for far longer than he had realized!

"I'm sorry, friend. I have to go!" The Homeless Man told the pigeon. "But I promise that I'll bring you back something from dinner!"

The Homeless Man then quickly got up from the bench, and he hurried back to the kitchen. Luckily, nothing slowed him down along the way. He made it to the kitchen just as they were opening up the line...

"One of the first in line! I knew today was my lucky day!" The Homeless Man excitedly told the kitchen's greeter.

… The greeter wasn't as enthusiastic as this homeless man... He just blankly looked at The Homeless Man and said, "Ah, sure."

The Homeless Man could tell that the greeter wasn't interested in what he had to say. So The Homeless Man just quietly took his place in line, and when he could, he grabbed his tray. 

Just as before, The Homeless Man moved through the line filling his tray. This time he received pasta, rolls, a salad, and some cookies! And since The Homeless Man was one of the first through the line, he had his choice of vacant tables…

… The Homeless Man chose a table in a far, back corner. No one would go back there for him to bother, and this way he didn't have to set his tray on his lap.

The Homeless Man finished his salad, and then his pasta. The Homeless Man only ate half of his roll, and he tucked the other half into his jacket pocket. Of the three cookies left sitting on his tray, The Homeless Man only ate one. He put the other two inside of his other coat pocket. 

"Saving these for later… Can't have too many cookies at one sitting. Never could," The Homeless Man chuckled to himself.

The Homeless Man then took his empty tray to the return area, again thanked the kitchen's staff, and for the last time that day- The Homeless Man exited the kitchen. The Homeless Man then decided that on his way back to the docks, he would detour through Gotham City Park...

"I've got more than enough bread for my friend at the pier," The Homeless Man said. "I'll walk through the park, and see if there are any more birds there that I can feed too."

The Homeless Man reached the park just as Sol was beginning to set. As he was walking along, he saw a vending cart stationed along a walkway…

"Cup of Ice Cream and a Balloon! 1$" the cart's sign read.

"And I thought today couldn't get any better!" The Homeless Man gleefully cheered to himself…

… But as he approached the vending cart, over to the side - just a few feet down the walkway - The Homeless Man saw a child. 

It was a filthy child. Soot, dirt, and other assorted stains covered it. This child that was just standing there, staring at the vending cart, had tears running down it's cheek…

… The Homeless Man wander over to approach the child. He asked it, "What's wrong child? Are you lost?"

"No, sir. I just love balloons… and ice cream. I haven't had any in… Well, I cant remember how long...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been just standing here crying. That's very rude of me…"

"Come now, child," The Homeless Man soothed. "I just so happen that I have an extra dollar in my pocket!"...

… The Homeless Man then smiled at the child, and said, "And I'm not a big fan of ice cream myself."

The Homeless Man and the child then walked over to the vending cart, together. The Homeless Man paid for the child's balloon and ice cream.

"Thank you, sir," the child said with brightly glowing eyes, "How could I ever repay you?"

"There's no need for that," The Homeless Man said. "Now get home. I'm sure your family misses you terribly."

The child then scurried off. The Homeless Man continued on down the walkway, but when he saw an empty park bench, he sat down to take a moment to enjoy the early night breeze. He reached into his pocket, and grabbed out his two cookies from earlier,

"I know I shouldn't eat these cookies," The Homeless Man cautioned himself. "But I think I'll eat them as a reward for doing something nice for that child."

… The Homeless Man then ate the two other cookies…

Instantly, The Homeless Man felt the high of the sugar- rushing into his body! He sprang to his feet, and began searching the park for more birds to feed! The Homeless Man walked all over the park, stopping to throw a pinch of bread down to every bird that he passed. When the sugar rush finally wore off, The Homeless Man was exhausted! He immediately took a seat on an empty bench near the center of the park…

"I think I'll just rest here a moment," The Homeless Man told himself. "And then I'll get back to my friend at the dock."

The Homeless Man then slumped over at his side, sliding over until he eventually was just laying out flat across the bench. He yawned deep, and closed his eyes…

CRACKLE-BOOM!

The Homeless Man was suddenly awoken by the sound of a loud crackling of electricity!

"I fell asleep!?" The Homeless Man said in exasperation. "How long have I been asleep?"

… The Homeless Man looked out into the park…

… It had to have been the middle of the night, and yet there were still two people standing not too far from The Homeless Man's bench? The Homeless Man could hear the two talking,

“I still here right? Like, I'm good, right?”

"Yes, Officer. You're good… But... You did change your uniform though. Nice.”

… Then two then quickly left the area…

As The Homeless Man finished sitting up straight, he rubbed his eyes. As he rubbed his eyes, The Homeless Man noticed he still had cookie, and bread crumbs all over his hands…

"The cookies!" The Homeless Man exclaimed! "I knew I shouldn't have eaten those last two cookies! Got me passing out, and then waking up seeing things… I knew I shouldn't have eaten those cookies! They're making me lose mind...

… I better just get going down to the dock, anyways. I'm sure my friend is still hungry."


End file.
